Watch case



June 28, 1966 R. TRAUTZ 3,257,795

WATCH CASE Filed June 9, 1964 I N VE NTO R. ,Qc/Mp@ @ef/rz United StatesPatent This invention relates to watch cases, and, more particularly, toa new and improved one-piece waterproof gold wrist watch case.

Generally, waterproof wrist watch cases are of several types, e.g.,snap-lockingcases wherein the top and back are snapped together,screw-on cases wherein the back is screwed into the top, and one-piececases comprising a top and back soldered together.

A gold watch case must be made entirely of solid gold of a minimumfmeness, eg., carat or better, herein simply referred to as gold, i.e.,every integral part thereof must be made of gold. Even the solder, ifsoldering is employed in the construction of the case, must be goldsolder. As a result of the foregoing requirements and of the fact thatgold is comparatively soft and expensive, conventional gold one-piecewaterproof wrist watch cases have had certain serious drawbacks. Forexample, a watch case must include a movement mounting ring. Where awall of the case constitutes this ring, it must be of gold and must bethick enough so that there is sufcient strength for it not to collapsein use. A gold ring in order to be capable of supporting the watchmovement must be of considerable thickness. This increases both theweight and cost of the case. To overcome this problem, conventionally, aloose movement mounting ring, i.e. a ring not integral with the case,made of a non-precious metal is employed so that the gold wall of thecase itself can be thinner. This, however, has its own disadvantage,namely, that an extra part is required, an extra forming operation isnecessitated, and an extra assembly operation must be performed when thecase is assembled with the movement. In this way, the production cost ofthe case is again increased. Another disadvantage of using a separatemovement mounting ring is that a number of time-consuming turningoperations are required to form the top and back of the case so thatthey may be correctly intertted with the separate ring therein, and inthis way the cost of labor in manufacturing the case, and thus the costof the case itself, is increased.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a one-piecewaterproof gold wrist watch case which requires fewer stamping andturning operations for manufacturing than conventional one-piecewaterproof gold wrist watch cases.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a watch case ofthe character described which requires less gold than conventional watchcases of a like type but is just as strong and resistant t0 collapse assuch 'conventional watch cases.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a watch case ofthe character described which is rugged, long-lasting, and pleasing inappearance.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a watch case ofthe character described which can be easily and inexpensively massproduced.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a watch case ofthe character described which permits a large saving of gold and laborto be effected.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a watch case ofthe character described which has all of the advantages of conventionalone-piece waterproof gold watch cases but none of thepreviously-mentioned disadvantages thereof.

These andvarious other objects and advantages of the present inventionwill become apparent to the reader in the following description.

The present invention accordingly consists in the features ofconstruction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts whichwill be exemplified in the watch case hereinafter described and of whichthe scope of application will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of the variouspossible embodiments of the present invention,

FIG. 1 is a vertical central sectional view through a crystal toppedone-piece waterproof gold watch case embodying the instant invention, aconventional watch movement being schematically shown disposed therein;

FIG. 2 is an exploded partially sectional side view of the watch case,crystal and movement shown in FIG. l; and v FIG. 3 is a top view of thewatch case shown l, the watch movement having been removed.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral 10denotes a one-piece Waterproof gold vwrist water case embodying theinstant invention. Said case includes a top 12 and back 14 (see FIG. 2)both of which are made from a suitable grade of gold, e.g.,10 carat inB1G.

gold. The top 12 is of any attractive configuration, e.g.,'

circular, and includes an upright annular endless side wall 16 integralat its lower edge (as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2) with an inwardly anddownwardly sloping lower annular flange 18. The flange is disposed at anangle of slightly more than 90 with respect to the inner surface of theside Wall, eg., 100. Y

The upper edge of the side wall 16 is integral with an inwardly andupwardly sloping upper annular flange 20 disposed at an angle of morethan 90 with respect to the inner surface of the side wall, for example120. The upper flange 20 has a larger inner diameter than the lowerflange 18 and includes an integral downwardly and slightly outwardly,e.g. 8, sloping segment 22 at its-inner edge. The lower edge of thesegment 22 in turn is integral with an inwardly extending annularcrystal-mounting seat 24 disposed at right angles to the wall 16.

By thus forming the top 12 to constitute an endless side wall withintegral upper and lower short inwardly extending peripheral flanges, achannel shaped configuration is imparted thereto that provides asubstantial degree of strength by virtue of the mutually reinforcingaction of the wall 'and flanges so that even with a wall and flangethickness in the order of as little as 0.012 the top is strong enough towithstand the vicissitudes of use. Thereby a considerable saving inlabor and gold is achieved.

The inner diameter ,of the lower flange 18 is of such size as to snuglyreceive the upstanding side mounting ring wall 26 of the Iback 14. Thelower edge of the wall 26 is integral with an outwardly and slightlyupwardly extending annular retroverted flange 28 disposed at such anangle with respect tothe wall 26 that with said wall 26 fully insertedinto the top through the lower flange 18, the upper surface of theflange 28mates with the lower surface of the flange 18 adjacent theinner edge thereof. The flange 28 is integral with a flat circularbottom 30 the periphery of which is sloped upwardly so as to impart asmooth and pleasing appearance to the case.

. In a manner somewhat similar to the top 12, the peripheral'configuration of the back, i.e., the formation of the same ingregistered when the back is fully inserted in and secured to the top.

Each of the top and back is formed by conventional bending and turningapparatus from a single piece of sheet gold. The back is hermeticallyand permanently secured to the top by soldering the flange 28 to theflange 18 with gold solder. At this time the peripheral configuration ofthe case due to the mutually angular relationship of the interconnectedmembers 16, 18, 20, 26 and 28 is almostya complete hollow box and itsconsiderable strength is greatly in excess of wh-at would be expectedfrom the thin met-al alone.

A standard watch movement 36 including an annular protruding squat rib38 intermediate the top and bottom surfaces thereof is snugly slidablyreceivable in the back 14 within the mounting ring 26 thereof with therib 38 of the movement resting on the top surface of said ring. Themovement is inserted through the top 12, the seat 24 of the top being ofgreater diameter than the rib 38 ofthe movement.

The stem of the movement extends through the opening 32 and slot 34.

A downwardly concave crystal 40 fabricated, for example, from a clearplastic such as an acrylic resin is snapped into position in the topwith the lower edge thereof received in the seat 24 and within thesegment 22. As is conventional, said lower edge has a diameter slightlygreater than the diameter of the upper edge of the segment land the areaof the crystal adjacent the lower edge thereof is shaped so as to fittightly (hermetically) in the segment after the crystal has beenconstricted and then snapped into place.

A watch case constructed in accordance with the pres-- ent invention canbe manufactured with a minimum of gold and a minimum of manufacturingoperations and thus of labor. In this way, the cost of production isconsiderably reduced while the attractive-ness and utility of the caseis in no way lessened. The case is sufficiently strong to support thewatch movement and yet is attractive and compact in appearance.

It thus will be seen that there is provided a device which achieves theseveral objects of the present invention and which is well `adapted tomeet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention,and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth,it is to be understood that all matter herein described or shown in theaccompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

lHaving thus described the present invention, there is claimed as newand desired to be' secured by Letters -Patent:

1. A one-piece waterproof watch case ofl precious metal, said watch casecomprising:

(A) atop (I) fabricated from a single piece of thin sheet material andconstituting (II) a circular side wall having (a) an upper edge, (b) alower edge, and (c) an aperture for the stem of a watch movement, (III)a first annular inwardly extending flange integral with the lower edgeof said wall,

(a) said first iiange having a free inner edge, (1V) a second annularinwardly extending flange integral with the upper edge of said wall,

(a) said second iiange having a free inner edge defining a crystalpassing opening, (V)v a downwardly and outwardly projecting segmentintegral with the free inner edge of the second ange,

(a) said segment including a lower edge, (VI) 'an inwardly projectingannular crystal receiving seat integral with said lower edge of saidsegment,

(B) said watch case further comprising a back (I) fabricated from asingle piece of thin sheet material and constituting (II) an upstandingcircular side mounting ring wall including a lower edge,

(a) the shape of said ring wall matching the shape of the free inneredge of the first ange,

(b) the lower edge of said ring wall abutting said free inner edge ofthe first liange,

(c) said ring wall being adapted to receive 'and support a watchmovement,

(III) an outwardly extending third annular flange (-a)' integral withthe lower edge of the ring wall, and

(b) abutting the undersurface of the first annular iiange adjacent thefree inner edge thereof, and

(IV) a bottom integral with said third flange,

(V) said ring wall of the back having a stem aperture registered withthe stem aperture in the side wall of the top, and

(C) means permanently hermetically sealing said third ange to said firstiange in the area of abutment thereagainst without theuse of a gasket.

2. A one-piece waterproof watch case as set forth in claim 1 wherein thewatch case is fabricated from gold and wherein the means permanentlyhermetically sealing the third flange to the first iiange is goldsolder.

3. A one-piece waterproof watch case as set forth in claim 1 wherein thefirst annular ange slopes downwardly, the second annular flange slopesupwardly, and the third annular flange slopes upwardly to match theslope of the rst annular ange.

4. A one-piece waterproof watch case of precious metal, said watch casecomprising:

(A) a top (I) fabricated from a single piece of thin sheet material andconstituting (II) a continuous side wall having (III) inwardly extendingupper and lower flanges integral with its top and bottom edgesrespectively to define therewith a channel-shaped crosssectionalperiphery,

(a) the upper ange being shaped to hermetically engage the periphery ofa watch crystal,

(b) the lower flange having a free inner edge defining a first opening,

(c) the upper ange having a free inner edge defining a second opening,(d)` the first opening being smaller than the f second opening, (B) saidwatch case further comprising a back (I) fabricated from a single pieceof thin sheet material and constituting (II) a bottom having (III) amounting ring in one piece therewith and perpendicular thereto,

(a) the shape of the mounting ring matching the shape of the free inneredge of the lower ange, Y

(b) said mounting ring having a lower edge abutting said free inner edgeof the lower liange, 1

(c) said mounting ring being adapted to receive and support a watchmovement, and

(IV) an outwardly extending ange at the juncture of the ring and thebottom,

(a) said outwardly extending flange of the bottom lying against thelower ilange of the top, and

(C) means permanently hermetically sealing the flange 6 of the back tothe lower flange of the top without the References Cited by the ExaminerSe 0f a gasket UNITED STATES PATENTS 5. A one-plece waterproof watchcase as set forth in claim 4 wherein the case is fabricated from goldand 2,380,215 7/1945 Cfdlra ne' 373'730 wherein the means permanentlyhermetically sealing the 5 21542090 4/1951 O Neill 58' 90 alrge of theback to the lower flange of the top is gold FOREIGN PATENTS so er l307,382 7/ 1955 Sw1tzerland. 6. A onep1ece waterproof watch case as setforth 1n 327,025 2/1958 Switzerland.

claim 5 wherein the sheet of which the top is constituted is a goldsheet in the order of 0.012" thick and the sheet 10 LOUIS 1 CAPOZIPrimary Mmm-nem of which the back is constituted is a gold sheet in theorder of 0.010 thick. LEO SMILOW, Examiner.

G. F. BAKER, Assistant Examiner.

1. A ONE-PIECE WATERPROOF WATCH CASE OF PRECIOUS METAL, SAID WATCH CASECOMPRISING: (A) A TOP (I) FABRICATED FROM A SINGLE PIECE OF THIN SHEETMATERIAL AND CONSTITUTING (II) A CIRCULAR SIDE WALL HAVING (A) AN UPPEREDGE, (B) A LOWER EDGE, AND (C) AN APERTURE FOR THE STEM OF A WATCHMOVEMENT, (III) A FIRST ANNULAR INWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE INTEGRAL WITHTHE LOWER EDGE OF SAID WALL, (A) SAID FIRST FLANGE HAVING A FREE INNEREDGE, (IV) A SECOND ANNULAR INWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE INTEGRAL WITH THEUPPER EDGE OF SAID WALL, (A) SAID SECOND FLANGE HAVING A FREE INNER EDGEDEFINING A CRYSTAL PASSING OPENING, (V) A DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLYPROJECTING SEGMENT INTEGRAL WITH THE FREE INNER EDGE OF THE SECONDFLANGE, (A) SAID SEGMENT INCLUDING A LOWER EDGE, (VI) AN INWARDLYPROJECTING ANNULAR CRYSTAL RECEIVING SEAT INTEGRAL WITH SAID LOWER EDGEOF SAID SEGMENT, (B) SAID WATCH CASE FURTHER COMPRISING A BACK (I)FABRICATED FROM A SINGLE PIECE OF THIN SHEET MATERIAL AND CONSTITUTING(II) AN UPSTANDING CIRCULAR SIDE MOUNTING RING WALL INCLUDING A LOWEREDGE, (A) THE SHAPE OF SAID RING WALL MATCHING THE SHAPE OF THE FREEINNER EDGE OF THE FIRST FLANGE, (B) THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID RING WALLABUTTING SAID FREE INNER EDGE OF THE FIRST FLANGE, (C) SAID RING WALLBEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND SUPPORT A WATCH MOVEMENT, (III) ANOUTWARDLY EXTENDING THIRD ANNULAR FLANGE (A) INTEGRAL WITH THE LOWEREDGE OF THE RING WALL, AND (B) ABUTTING THE UNDERSURFACE OF THE FIRSTANNULAR FLANGE ADJACENT THE FREE INNER EDGE THEREOF, AND (IV) A BOTTOMINTEGRAL WITH SAID THIRD FLANGE, (V) SAID RING WALL OF SAID BACK HAVINGA STEM APERTURE REGISTERED WITH THE STEM APERTURE IN THE SIDE WALL OFTHE TOP, AND (C) MEANS PERMANENTLY HERMETICALLY SEALING SAID THIRDFLANGE TO SAID FIRST FLANGE IN THE AREA OF ABUTMENT THEREAGAINST WITHOUTTHE USE OF A GASKET.